***REMEMBER, THIS IS FOR DOGS OTHER THAN PIT BULLS. WITH PIT BULLS YOU MUST GO MORE SLOWLY, YOU CAN USE THIS FOR PIT BULLS JUST REMEMBER YOU ARE INTRODUCING PIT BULLS NOT ANOTHER BREED.

The following guidelines will help assist you in welcoming a new dog into your home. While we realize that you are anxious for everyone to get along and start functioning as a pack, you must remember to take things slowly over the course of at least 3 weeks. Rushing things now, will certainly destroy any chances you have of establishing a good relationship between the dogs.
Remember to take the time to bond with the new dog without the other’s interference. He/she needs to establish a relationship with you too, so they can learn to trust and obey commands.
Normal day to day routines of your resident dog and attention given, should be the kept same to avoid jealousy of the new dog.
You can have years of enjoyment with your resident dog and your new dog, if you don’t rush things and follow the advice given. Remember, you cannot backpeddle if you decide to rush things and put the dogs on guard with each other. By doing it right the first time, you will be rewarded in the years to come.
Please review our multiple dog guidelines to help in establishing yourself as the leader of the pack and avoiding potential fight inducers.

1. Introduce the dogs in a neutral location (at the shelter, at a park, down the street, etc). If you have more than one resident dog, introduce them one at a time.

2. When the dogs greet and sniff each other, talk to them in a happy, friendly tone of voice and offer each one treats (give the treat to the resident dog first).

3. Introduce the dogs only for brief amounts of time, but do it repeatedly.

4. If one dog acts submissive to the other (rolls over and shows belly) that’s great - reinforce this behavior (say “good boy/girl” and give treats) even if it is the resident dog.

5. Try to keep the leashes loose at all times. A tight leash transmits your anxiety about the situation to the dogs and increases their tension.

6. Watch for any body postures that tell you that the dogs are getting tense (raised hackles, baring teeth, growls, stiff-legged gait, prolonged stare). If you see these behaviors, interrupt them by calling the dogs away from each other and have them do something else like sit.

7. Watch for dominant body postures (one dog putting his chin or neck on the shoulders of the other dog, or placing a front foot over the others shoulders or back). If the other dog submits to these postures that’s fine, if not, interrupt them by calling them away from each other and having them sit.

8. DO NOT hold one dog while the other is loose.

9.Until the dogs are comfortable with one another, do not let them together in a small space like a car or hallway.

10. Until the dogs are comfortable with each other, do not let them alone unsupervised while you go get a drink or whatever.

11. Allow a natural dominance heirarchy to develop. Whenever the dogs approach each other, speak in a happy, encouraging voice. If they are behaving well together, give treats so they associate good things with each other’s presence.

12. GO SLOWLY - if they do not do well at first, separate them except during managed interactions. Make sure all interactions are positive using happy voices and treats.

13. DO NOT USE PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT if fighting breaks out. Just say “NO” loudly, then call the dogs back to you and make them sit.- WITH PIT BULLS SAYING NO WILL NOT WORK. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BREAK STICK HANDY.

2. When the dogs greet and sniff each other, talk to them in a happy, friendly tone of voice and offer each one treats (give the treat to the resident dog first).

I'm not for letting strange dogs sniff, even on leash. Cleo enjoyed sneak attacks when sniffing. I think the neutral walk is a better way to get the dogs a little used to each other before this step.

I also never involve treats of any kind, especially right off. Most dogs will not go after another dog in teh presence of a treat, but some do.

3. Introduce the dogs only for brief amounts of time, but do it repeatedly.

This is very good, but I would add that outside of the introductions you allow them limited access to get used to each other. Maybe through a baby gate or under a door.

4. If one dog acts submissive to the other (rolls over and shows belly) that’s great - reinforce this behavior (say “good boy/girl” and give treats) even if it is the resident dog.

6. Watch for dominant body postures (one dog putting his chin or neck on the shoulders of the other dog, or placing a front foot over the others shoulders or back). If the other dog submits to these postures that’s fine, if not, interrupt them by calling them away from each other and having them sit.

Both of these could lead to serious arguements down the road (even if it's a short road). Do not allow eaither dog to diminate the other, especially at the beginning. Once you have established the pack order, you can allow your 'chosen one' to dominate, but until then the one that is being submissinve may decide that it has had enough and challenge that order. That can manifest in overt aggressive behaviour or passive aggressive behavior such as peeing on the other dog's bed or taking food and toys consistantly.

Some dogs don't give physical signs of tension, so you need to know your dog. Connor wags his tail happily before he gets aggressive. A confident dog is sure of his abilities, so he has no tension/nervousness.

8. DO NOT hold one dog while the other is loose.

10. Until the dogs are comfortable with each other, do not let them alone unsupervised while you go get a drink or whatever.

12. GO SLOWLY - if they do not do well at first, separate them except during managed interactions. Make sure all interactions are positive using happy voices and treats.

Excellent. But neither dog should be loose at the beginning stages. And see my thoughs about treats above.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

good points i agree.. this list was done for other breeds, not pits though.. with pits of course more has to be done.. how about we modify it michelle?? add your stuff in , and make changes.. sound good???

I printed this off...it's great info! So, if Marco comes soon, I plan on having several tie downs in each room of the house (especially since I'll have to acclimate him to my cats). I planned on having him sleep in spare room (on a tie down) until everything gets settled, since Vicki and both cats sleep in my bedroom. What do you all think of this? He should be ok sleeping alone in a new place? I have a white noise machine with different stuff on it (water, wind chimes, noised like that) that I was thinking about putting in there with him.

I don't think this would work for all dogs. If you have a leash aggressive dog and you use this formula you'll end up with a fight in a matter of moments.

My new dog also has had poor socialization in his early years. He is constantly wondering if he's dominant and the hackles automatically go up when he meets a new dog. I am not worried about this because he is just insecure and trying to figure out if he should be dominant or not. I would not call him off if I saw hackles go up because then he would never be meeting other dogs and he would never be able to be re-socialized properly.
He also throws his head over the shoulders of other dogs. For the moment he is only allowed to meet known and trusted dogs while he figures out how to act. I WANT him to get corrected by dogs. I can give him a correction but it's not going to mean as much as if another dog corrects him. He threw his head over Wally's shoulders twice and Wally corrected him pretty good the first time, and VERY hard the second time (had his head pressed down to the floor as Wally yelled). Wally is a very dominant male who is very sure of himself. He is quick to correct but not quick to bite (and he's been pushed pretty far by some dogs). I do believe in letting dogs figure it out for themselves up to a certain point. And again, I'm talking trusted dogs who's temperments and corrections are well known, and not pit bulls.

But I do believe in going slowly. Halo was essentially crated 24/7 the first day and has slowly gained more out of crate time. Now that it's been a week, he's out of his crate for most of the day, unless I'm out of the house or down in the kennel. He even had Wally playing, very briefly, in the yard yesterday!

If you look on a Greyhound site they will tell you that the only way to introduce dogs to one another is muzzled, period. Obviously some dogs are going to completely tweak at that. I don't think that a generalized list is going to work for doggy introductions, unless both dogs are well socialized and bullet proof . . . which we know 99% of them are not.

I'm a spoil sport

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

This is all great info, you were quite right. NOT with pits. Not even at the 3 weeks stage. I found that out the hard way. I have always believed the resident dog will be the dominant dog. We bought a rottweiler when he was 4 weeks of age, he is 1 1/2 yrs. now. He is constantly trying to assume dominance over my pit Cyclops. I firmly believes he knows he is bigger that my Cyclops. However Cyclops never backs down. We have broken up many a squabble. 3 weeks ago I rescued another full grown pit, he was used for fighting, he gets along with the rott, however he really got aggressive with my Cyclops, and both pits got into it bad. Cyclops will be going to the vet in the morning unfortunately. Closed bite that has abssesed.

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Cyclops Mama

Pookie - 7 yr.old F-cat runs the home with an iron pawCyclops - Pitbull: My little boyHercules:1 1/2 yr. old rott; Daddys boySpider:1 1/2 yr old feline thinks he is a dog "What lies behind us & what lies before us are tinymatters compared to what lies within us."

This is excellent info, I wish I had read this before the poor judgement call I made. I was a true believer in Cesar Milan's methods of training. However, I had issues with some of his methods. I should have trusted my instincts. Not all dogs are the same, they are individual by their own right. Some dogs are trainable and some are not. My Cyclops is very possesive, I should have banked on that instead, he is the dominant one in our pack. Thanks for the info once again.

Cyclops Mama

Pookie - 7 yr.old F-cat runs the home with an iron pawCyclops - Pitbull: My little boyHercules:1 1/2 yr. old rott; Daddys boySpider:1 1/2 yr old feline thinks he is a dog "What lies behind us & what lies before us are tinymatters compared to what lies within us."

I agree with any dog, not just pits, the new dog should have limited access to the house (crate or small room). To avoid confusion on whos new and whos not. You don't want the resident dog being invaded. I also think that time out of the crate should be increased with positive feedback. As in earning free time by being good with each other. 3 weeks is a good starting point but some dogs may take longer. Even if not a bully the dog needs to respect you before it will respect the heirarchy. So basic manners with you, alone, and what not are in order to be sure the dog will mind you when you say 'enough' or 'go lay down.'

And for pitties if you don't have a breaking stick, having really big muscles and choking with a leash or collar works well too! Eventually they have to breath and they let go....its worked for me several times during dog park break outs...(not mine of course)

Ryder - Rescue APBT Panser on a Roll - APBT (American Bully?)Gretchen - the red headed cat that thinks shes a dogPrudence - the new cat on the block to put the dogs in their place!Punchlines Better Than Lojac - APBT (RIP)